Portsmouth [UK], September 13 (ANI): A vessel was struck by an unknown projectile while transiting the Strait of Hormuz as the conflict in the region continues to escalate despite BRICS nations calling for exercising maximum restraint in West Asia.
According to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), the status of the crew, damage assessment and environmental impact are unknown at present.
UKMTO has advised the vessels to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity while authorities are investigating the incident.
Meanwhile, Iran and Oman have agreed on the details of new entry and exit routes for the Strait of Hormuz and will brief Gulf countries on the outcome of their consultations at a regional meeting in Muscat on Monday, Iranian officials said on Saturday, according to Xinhua News.
After seizing the key Red Sea port of Mokha and the last two islands, which were not under their control, in the strategic shipping route of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Yemen’s Houthis continued to strike at bordering Saudi Arabia, the CBS reported, citing a military official in the Yemeni government.
The tightening of the grip on the Bab el-Mandeb Strait by Iran-backed rebels comes as they target ships transiting for Saudi Arabian oil exports, on a route which is an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported.
On Sunday (local time), the militant group struck weapons depots and command and control rooms at the military base in Saudi Arabia's Sharurah region, Houthi’s Yahya Saree said on X.
According to Al Jazeera, two people were injured in a Houthi strike along Saudi Arabia’s border.
As Houthis captured the Mokha, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Friday expressed support for "Yemeni people", invoking past statements from slain Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Reacting to developments along the Red Sea coast, Ghalibaf wrote in a post on X, "The brave Yemeni people will certainly triumph, by the permission of God Almighty."
According to Al Jazeera, the Houthis’ capture of the Red Sea port of Mokha has been praised in Iran in the backdrop of its wider conflict with the United States and Israel.
“The victories of Yemen’s Ansar Allah in the western coast are a narrative of a divine triumph and the fruit of years of steadfastness in the most difficult of battlefields,” Hossein Mohebbi, spokesman of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), wrote on X on Saturday.
According to CBS News, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has asked US President Donald Trump to take military action against Houthis, which he reportedly declined.
These attacks come while BRICS nations, including Saudi Arabia, Iran and the UAE, have called for peace in the region.
In the New Delhi declaration on Saturday, the BRICS nations expressed “deep concern over the continued escalation of tensions in West Asia” and called for “maximum restraint, as well as avoiding actions that could further aggravate the situation.”
The nations also urged ensuring the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations in their entirety and interconnectedness, including respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the States.
BRICS called for dialogue and diplomacy towards a long-term understanding that will contribute to lasting peace, security and stability in the region and maintain the smooth flow of global trade, supply chains and energy, in accordance with applicable international law. (ANI)
Fresh strike on vessel in Hormuz, Houthi takeover of Bab el-Mandeb Strait sees West Asia simmer as BRICS calls for peace
